So Ive been on Ometepe over a week now, or maybe its one week today. My intention was to stay one night in a hostel somewhere then make my way to La Paloma and surprise my family there, not quite how it happened though. I met some Chilean girls in the bus station in San Jose, and after talking to them for a while at the Nicaraguan border, found out that they, too, were headed to Ometepe. When we got off the boat we hurried onto the last bus bound for Balgue (really not so close to la paloma), but i didnt really care where i was going as long as it involved bed. Being sick and traveling really sucks. An hour and a half later the bus dropped us off at the bottom of a big hill, and we began the ascent up to el zopilote. The first few days were are a bit fuzzy because i spent them in the throes of fever, but I met some very cool people. Notably: katy and nicole--german girls studying in leon, rojer--a tattoo artist from matagalpa, and alex/georg/romina the austrians/mexican working at zopilote. Did a lot of bike riding and hiking this week--rode all the way around the far half of the island then hiked to the cascada one day, and to alta gracia and back another. My nights were mainly spent playing Taki (sort of like israeli uno) well into the night, or on thursday, saturday, and tuesday, enjoying pizza out of a wood fired oven with like-minded individuals.

Finally left the finca yesterday--i was delayed a bit as I ran out of money and was waiting for someone else to leave with me so that they could lend me money for the bus and i could pay them back when i got to the atm in moyogalpa. The huelga is not helping--not sure if ill be able to follow through with my plans of heading up to granada/masaya/leon if the transportation strike doesnt calm down a bit. Either way, ill probably be leaving the island either tomorrow or the next day.

This morning I walked into moyogalpa and had coffee at the american cafe and hostel at the urging of its owner, bob, whom i met on my walk to la paloma last night. Turns out both bob and his italian wife, simonetta, attended NYU back in the day. We chatted for a while, and then simon gave me her copy of Kahlil Gibran´s ¨The Prophet.¨ Quite a gift.

Comments

already left ometepe hey,
I left ometepe and made it to tegucigalpha in one day. You have probably already left if your reading this. If not, go to the main road, and pay the driver to take the seats of those getting off either transnica or tica. Both buses are still running.
Good luck